It was frenzied Tuesday night outside the Grand Lake Theatre as crowds formed long lines that wrapped around both sides of the historic Oakland landmark to squeeze into back-to-back sold-out screenings of Boots Riley’s new comedy “I Love Boosters.”
“I’m excited to watch this with you,” Riley said before the first screening began. “It took a lot of pushing to make this happen. You’ll see why when you see it on the screen, and I think it’s my best work.”
Riley is known for his surrealist anti-capitalist stories that expose the absurdities of cultural norms. His projects are highly critical of large corporations, unfair labor practices, and the exploitation built into our economic system.
His latest anti-capitalist satire, this one taking aim at fast fashion and overconsumption, is the centerpiece film of the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM), which kicked off on April 24. The nonprofit organization behind the festival is known for its artist development program — which Riley was a part of — and for screening both independent and international films.
Riley speaks to press during the “I Love Boosters” red carpet event near Grand Lake Theatre on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
From left to right: Liu; González; Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner of Tune-Yards, the Oakland-based music project that has done musical scores for multiple Riley projects; Stanfield; and Riley (front) pose on the red carpet ahead of the Oakland premiere. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Hundreds of people lined up for one of two sold-out special screenings of “I Love Boosters.” Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
“I want to thank Oakland for having us here,” Anne Lai, SFFILM’s executive director, said before introducing the film. “It is such a big deal that we get to do our centerpiece at the beautiful Grand Lake Theatre.”
“You can only feel proud, mystified and provoked by all of the work that he has done as an artist, and as an activist,” Lai said of Riley.
A few doors down from the buzzing crowds at the theater, a roomful of journalists and photographers eagerly awaited the arrival of the cast members in attendance, who were slated to attend the 6:30 p.m. screening and participate in a Q&A afterwards.
The comedy, which Riley wrote and directed, follows the velvet gang, a crew of boosters — shoplifters who sell their stolen goods from high end stores at an affordable price — led by Keke Palmer as Corvette, Naomi Ackie as Sade, and Taylour Paige as Mariah. The trio teams up with Chinese garment factory worker Jianhu, played by Poppy Liu, and a fed-up retail worker named Violeta, played by Eiza González. The squad unite against a common enemy, an eccentric and exploitative designer, Christie Smith, played hilariously by Oscar-nominated actress Demi Moore. Their fight isn’t just against Smith, but in classic Boots Riley fashion, against the capitalist system she represents.
While the movie is heavily women-dominated, Oscar-nominated actor LaKeith Stanfield — who first teamed up with Riley for his 2018 debut feature film “Sorry to Bother You” — plays Pinky Ring Guy, a seemingly normal man whose special talent under the sheets transforms him into a monster. In the film, Pinky Ring Guy deploys his smooth talk and sultry eyes to romance Corvette.
Stanfield holds Liu’s hand as she does a split during the “I Love Boosters” red carpet event. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
González speaks to the press before the Oakland premiere. Credit: Estefany Gonazalez for The Oaklandside
Stanfield talks to the press about reuniting with Riley almost a decade after the two of them first worked together for the director’s feature film debut, “Sorry to Bother You.” Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
At the red carpet, cast members had nothing but praises for the Oakland filmmaker who began his career as lead vocalist of the hip-hop group The Coup.
Actress Poppy Liu showed up late to the presser and didn’t get a chance to do interviews. Instead, she made her grand entrance by doing the splits on the carpet, while photographers swarmed to take photos of her smiling face.
“I didn’t realize how much time has passed since ‘Sorry to Bother You,’” said Stanfield of working with Riley again almost a decade later. “He hasn’t changed, only that his heart has gotten bigger and his imagination as well. It’s a beautiful blessing.”
González, the Mexican actress and singer, gushed about not only how eager she was to work with Riley, but about the vision he had for Violeta, the character she plays.
“When I learned that there was an open character to be played, I told my team that whatever Boots was working on, I wanted to be a part of it,” González said. “I’ll play tree number 24. I’ll play whatever. So he called me, and explained what he wanted from the character, and I gave him my take on it. It’s incredible to meet a director like Boots who believes in your vision and who pushes you to do more. I’m incredibly grateful to him.”
By the time the screening in the main sold-out auditorium was set to begin, impatient moviegoers had already demolished their bags of popcorn as they awaited the arrival of Riley and the cast.
Following the screening, Riley, Stanfield, González, and Liu joined a Q&A moderated by Jessie Fairbanks, the director of programming at SFFILM.
The three cast members each reflected on how they identify with Riley’s social justice themes. Liu talked about how in 2024, she lost a six-year TV contract over what she believes was her outspokenness about Palestine. Riley’s script, she said, landed on her lap not long after.
“People should know what she’s about,” Riley said about Liu. “We need to support when people make those stances.”
As the Q&A wrapped up, fresh crowds had assembled outside the theater to catch the next screening.
“It’s make it or break it,” Riley told moviegoers. “We gotta do amazing that first weekend!”
The premiere had two back-to-back sold out shows. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside
Riley, Stanfield and Liu headed to an after-party at CryBaby, an event put together by storyteller and filmmaker Niema Jordan, the director of Cinemama, a group formed by Riley and other Oakland filmmakers including Cheryl Dunye, George Rush, Laura Wagner, and W. Kamau Bell to foster the Bay Area’s filmmaking community.
There, the trio mingled and chatted as West Oakland DJ and producer Daghe hit the turntables, playing an eclectic mix of sounds from classic Bay tracks like E-40’s “Tell Me When to Go” and Keysha Cole’s “Love” to “Titi Me Pregunto” by Bad Bunny.
“It feels really good to be celebrating this movie here,” Riley said to the crowd at the afterparty. “I wanted to have a party and have everybody dance and have fun. You need to really dance Yay Area.”
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